Your first task is to install a full-spectrum lamp no higher than 6 inches above the cage and place it on a timer cycling every 12 hours on and off.

Our budgie aviary is pretty wide so we use 2 but this will give you an idea

Birds process an enormous amount of data they receive from light.

Light tells them when to molt, breed and migrate if applicable.

You’re giving your bird bad data by not allowing it to have an equatorial light cycle which is part of its evolutionary expectations.

Let’s jump down to the bottom of the cage.

The single millet spray should not be on the ground as it will be pooped upon

That’s also way too much millet for single budgie, it should be cut into six smaller pieces and served as a single piece in a bowl on the floor of the cage to reduce the mess caused by the very light millet husks.

The rest should be refrigerated for freshness.

Your feeding dishes are fine but remember in the wild budgies are ground feeders

We have dishes for our (9) budgies both high and on the ground in the birdcage.

You have four dowel rod perches that run from side to side that should be removed.

They don’t do anything to challenge a budgies foot and restrict what little flight the bird might get although they can helicopter within a cage.

All psittacine birds should sleep on a soft rope (Booda) placed in the top one third of the cage.

There should be chewable wooden bird toys that a budgie can easily access throughout the cage.

Besides wood, consider coconut fiber toys, buri palm and with sea shells as well as leather and beads

Here is an overview here is a video overview of what I’m talking about on a larger scale

Please encourage your bird to use the bottom of the cage as much as they use the top to give them the most of amount of exercise they can get.

Your budgie will sleep towards the top one third of the cage and the cage should be covered nightly at “birdie bedtime”.

2 to 3 more perches will be fine.

Keep them short and not going across the cage in either direction.

I noticed a cuttlebone.

Cuttlebone is really only necessary if you have a breeding female. But they may still like it.

Females will have a brown cere (nose) and males will have a blue but not till about six months old.

We like to lay our paper on the bottom of the birdcage so we can pull out a single sheet of paper every day accelerating the birdcage cleaning process.

You’ll notice we’re using two Lixit Snapple water bottle kits but not all birds adapt easily so for the foreseeable future 2 to 3 months we will add water dishes so the bird are assured to have water and at some point will make the relationship between the Lixit Snapple water bottles.

She had definitely been out for a while because she slept and ate a lot the first couple of days and then continued to get more and more ornery requiring a wing trim so she would not slam into the windows.

Is also a possibility that they could get swept away by strong wind current and then land in a much friendlier environment.

Here in Chicago we have flocks of monk PARAKEETS that are able to survive the most brutal of Chicago winters.

If these are birds you are seeking to get rid of it would be best to rehome them.

There are many outstanding rescues in the New York area would be more than happy to take in a pair of budgies.

They are exceptional pet birds we have six of them now. (oops as of 11/1/2018 we have 9 now)

Absolutely it is okay and in fact quite healthy to feed budgies black peppercorn and other spices. Black peppercorns are high in vital antioxidants and are super healthy for parrots and people alike.

Budgies and all the psittacines love spicy foods, and their bodies, like ours, regularly metabolize them. In fact, parrots have a much greater tolerance for spice and can chomp on a cayenne or habanero pepper without so much as a wince, as they lack capsaicin receptors that would make the experience unbearable to most of us humans and other mammals.

Black pepper contains piperine, a powerful cancer-inhibiting and cell-supporting and repairing antioxidant. Piperine also allows curcumin, the primary antioxidant in turmeric, to be more bioavaiable (nutritionally available) in the body, so the two spices are great to pair together.

I sprinkle all kinds of herbs and spices in my birds’ wet foods, and sometimes they enjoy a simple treat of a few black peppercorns. You might want to check out my Quora answer on Do budgies like spices?.

Author:

He's handled a 1000 birds of numerous species when they would visit their monthly birdie brunch in the old Portage Park (Chicago, IL) facility. The one with the parrot playground.
Mitch has written and published more than 1100 articles on captive bird care.
He's met with the majority of CEO's and business owners for most brands in the pet bird space and does so on a regular basis.
He also constantly interacts with avian veterinarians and influencers globally.
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